Axtra3D announced a significant investment in the company.
They’ve raised US$4.5M in a Series A investment round, led by HZG Group.
Axtra3D, based in Charlotte, NC, has developed a unique 3D printing process that combines both DLP and Laser approaches in the same system. The DLP component enables rapid printing by solidifying the internal structures, while the laser is used to create a very smooth and accurate external perimeter. The result is a 3D printer that has the advantages of both DLP and SLA at the same time.
Their Hybrid PhotoSynthesis Technology (HPS) process also speeds the printing process by dramatically reducing inter-layer operations in a unique manner: they slide the plate sideways instead of the traditional time-consuming lift and peel approach.
This technology has proven successful, as the company appears to be growing strongly. Every time we see them at a trade show, their stand seems to be a bit larger.
The technology has attracted investors, with the company previously raising US5.25M. Now their total raise is US$9.75 with the addition of the new investment.
What do they intend on doing with this investment? Axtra3D explains:
“With an already established second location in Vicenza, Italy, the funds will be instrumental in further expanding Axtra3D’s global market reach, broadening its product portfolio, and further strengthening its post-sales support.”
That’s a bit vague, but it sounds like they are expanding sales and generally reinforcing existing strategies.
They also add:
“A significant portion of the investment will go towards strengthening Axtra Academy, our dedicated customer support infrastructure. Our approach is distinguished by flexible business models that offer adaptable solutions to meet the diverse needs of our customers, from service bureaus to large-scale manufacturers. These models are enhanced by our extensive ecosystem of partnerships with leading global material providers, ensuring our customers have access to a broad selection of certified, high-performance solutions for various applications.”
This investment is remarkable, as the current investment climate is downright terrible. Several large players in the industry took on vast sums of investment a couple of years ago, and the vast majority of them have not succeeded. Many are literally down 90+% in value since their investments, and some have even gone out of business entirely.
Because of those failures, the investment community has been highly reluctant to invest in any 3D print technology, fearing a similar fate. This has strongly depressed the stock prices of publicly tradable 3D print companies, which we track in our weekly leaderboard.
Axtra3D should be wary of investments because of this phenomenon. However, this is a relatively small investment as compared to the failures of other companies. Perhaps this investment level is more appropriate for technologies at this stage.
Via Axtra3D
